It was almost a year ago that we first laid eyes on the Lenovo Flex 3i Chromebook, and I remember remarking all the way back then that there was something a bit different about this little Chromebook. It was the first device we got hands-on time with that comes packing the new 12th-gen Intel N100/N200 processors and immediately I was impressed.
Not only were these new small-core Intel chips fast, the rest of the Chromebook felt like a big step forward for affordable devices as well. From the rigid, all-plastic chassis to the 16:10 FHD IPS screen that hits 300 nits of brightness, I knew there was something a bit more special about this Chromebook.
And though it hasn’t happened yet, I could see a scenario where Lenovo made a few small tweaks to this exact device and launched it as a Chromebook Plus model. With a bump up in processor to the similar-but-more-powerful i3-N305 processor and a 1080p camera, the Flex 3i would make a great candidate for what Google is going for in a Chromebook Plus.
As it sits, the current model only has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, so those specs and the 720p webcam make it a decidedly non-Plus device. That being said, it is still a spectacular Chromebook for its standard price and right now, you can take a whopping $170 off this powerful little convertible device, making it just $179.
For all it offers, $179 for this Chromebook is ridiculous. Sure, a bit more RAM and storage would be nice, but those factors don’t change the fact that this is a fantastic device to use. And at this sharp of a discount, it makes the value proposition go through the roof. We don’t see this one marked down this far very often, so if you are in the market for one of the best Chromebooks you can buy under $200 right now, this one needs to be on your list.
